


Bésame

by mercs4life



Series: Allura Mahariel [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alcohol, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 20:11:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercs4life/pseuds/mercs4life
Summary: Allura Mahariel and Zevran Arainai have been getting closer over the past few weeks, but will a language barrier stop them in their tracks?





	Bésame

_"Isabela?"_

Allura Mahariel looked up at Zevran Arainai, someone she was currently not on speaking terms with, and noted his surprised, awed expression. He looked the beautiful, charming, mystery woman up and down, and the woman returned his call with a warm smile.

"Zevran! How long has it been?"

Zevran sauntered up to this _Isabela_ , standing annoyingly close to her as they laughed and talked. 

"Time has been kind to you, my friend," Zevran complimented her. 

"Such a shame I can't say the same for you!" Isabela laughed. Even her _laugh_ sounded pretty, _Creators._

"Come to think of it," Zevran began thoughtfully, "the last time I saw you, you were -"

"Don't bring up old memories, sweet thing," Isabela interrupted. "I prefer my imagination to what _really_ happened."

Leliana gasped behind Allura and muttered "Scandalous!" under her breath. Even Wynne tutted disapprovingly. That part didn't bother Allura; she was fully aware of Zevran's colorful sexual history before they met. It was what’s happening _right now_ in front of her eyes that was agitating her. 

Zevran was _flirting_ with Isabela, right in front of her! Like she wasn't even there! Why did he _volunteer_ to come with them if he was still annoyed about yesterday? Come to think of it, why did he also sleep in her tent if he was so... _disgruntled_? That word gave Allura pause; she couldn't help but think about how furrowed his brow got when he thought she wasn't looking, or the slight pout when she didn't make eye contact. She grinned despite herself. _Adorable_ , she thought. 

"Oh? Are we quite amusing, my dear Warden?" 

That was the second thing he'd said to her all day. She wanted to tell him she was thinking about how cute he looked when he was pouting, how she hated that they weren't talking. But with Leliana glaring daggers into the back of his skull (which he tactfully ignored), Wynne showing off her best "I told you so" face, and Zevran openly flirting with another woman, Allura decided against being overly sentimental. 

"Not at all," Allura responded nonchalantly. The easy way they flirted, the lack of distance between them as they stood side by side... she put a frustrated hand on her hip, despite herself. "Do you know each other?"

"Indeed; this is _Isabela_ ," Zevran answered with a coy smirk. There was something about the way he said her name that made Allura uneasy. "Queen of the Eastern Seas, and the sharpest blade in Neverra. And Isabela," he turned to his friend, "you will no doubt be amused to discover that I am traveling with a Grey Warden."

"A Grey Warden?" Isabela repeated, impressed. "Charmed." 

" _An-_ " Allura cut herself off and frowned. She wanted to say " _Aneth ara_ ," but remembered her fight with Zevran. "It's good to meet you, Isabela," Allura greeted her, ignoring Zevran's quirked eyebrow. 

"You don't see many elven Grey Wardens," Isabela began, a sly look in her eye. "Is it true what about a Grey Warden's ... endurance?"

Allura's heart skipped a beat. Not because of Isabela's obvious charm or her seductive gaze as she closed the distance between them; no, it was because Zevran’s voice echoed in her mind; it was a few weeks ago by now, true, but she couldn’t forget his low voice in her ear, the morning after, whispering his own opinions about her “Grey Warden endurance.” 

Allura closed her eyes and took a deep breath; when she opened them, Isabela was so close, Allura could practically see her... heartbeat pulsing over her armor. 

_Creators_ , Allura swore inwardly, and forced herself to maintain eye contact. 

"I have met... few Grey Wardens in the short time I've been one; I do not have many acquaintances to compare myself to." 

Allura's face felt like it was boiling, and Isabela's confident smirk meant she could also tell. Allura frowned, embarrassed, and took a deep breath and a step back. 

"We should get going, Isabela. It was great meeting you." Allura turned towards the door, catching Zevran's annoyed face as he followed behind her.

"Zevran, you're leaving already?" Allura could hear the whine in Isabela's voice behind her. "What about sex?"

Allura's blood ran cold. Her heart seemed to stop and speed up at the same time. Despite her panic, she refused to look at him. She turned away to leave, but she could still hear his response:

"Would if I could, my dear, but I have a... previous engagement."

As Zevran and Isabela said their goodbyes, Allura held back rolling her eyes and strolled out of the Pearl.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back at camp, Allura didn't say more than a few greetings before she returned to her tent. He didn't want to admit it, but Zevran was... concerned. He'd never seen Allura flustered over anyone but him before. Of course, they hadn't known each other long, but he liked to think he knew her better than the rest of the team.

Zevran let out a breath. He should make sure her meeting Isabela didn’t have any… lingering effects. 

As he stood, he noticed Leliana staring at him from in front of her tent while whispering furiously to Alistair. Probably about his flirting with Isabela in front of Allura. 'There was no harm in it, dear Leliana' he wanted to say. 'Neither of us want to tie the other down; she's also free to flirt with whomever she pleases.' 

At that, he frowned. He felt some... _pressure_? in his stomach. Curious... 

He instead flashed a smile at Leliana, which made her flush angrily and whisper at Alistair faster. Zevran held back a laugh and continued towards Allura's tent. 

The tent flap pulled back, and Allura looked up at him, surprised. 

"Oh Zevran," she said, throwing one hand behind her back. " _An-_ ... Did you need anything?" 

He raised an eyebrow, curious. That’s twice she’s avoided speaking Dalish in front of him. She couldn’t be _that_ annoyed with yesterday, could she?

"Do I need a reason to check on my favorite Grey Warden?" He smirked. 

Disbelief covered her face, and his heart sank, for some reason. But then she grinned. 

"Of course not," she replied, somewhat tersely, as she pushed past him. He caught the distinct _clink_ of coins bouncing in time with her steps. "Unless you were worried about something?" 

"Do I have something to be concerned about? For instance, where you're going with a small satchel of sovereigns?," he added, a smile plastered in his face. 

She didn't seem surprised he knew, though she'd made an effort to hide it. "I'm going to a bar for a drink," she answered curtly. "You're welcome to join me, not follow, although I would prefer to go alone."

Zevran's jaw clenched. If Allura noticed, she didn't react. What was it that he thought earlier? She's allowed to flirt with whomever she likes?

"Of course," he muttered after a pause. "Enjoy yourself."

Allura smiled, unamused, and called for her mabari Fen'or as she walked out of the camp. 

Zevran bit the inside of his cheek; he was sure he’d earned his place in the group at this point. Alistair and Morrigan have even let him cook dinner unsupervised by now, so he was sure he could stay even if he and Allura were no longer …. Well, “involved”. And she was stubborn and immovable but she was also kind at heart; she wouldn’t make him leave. But would he want to stay? If every time someone glanced at him, with every interaction, their eyes were filled with pity? 

Zevran was many things, but pitiable was not one of them. 

He’d promised Allura when she spared his life that he would be at her disposal until the day she no longer needed him; he would keep that promise. Even if she told him when she returned that she didn’t want him, he’d already decided that he would stay with her until the Archdemon was killed. But afterwards…. 

Allura had already given him many gold and silver bars during their travels; he’d be set for a few months after everything is finished. Zevran wasn’t sure how this would end, but it may be time to start committing to his contingency plan.

~~~~~~~~

Allura sighed and rested her forehead on the bar counter. Fen'or sat in the foyer, eating the steak she’d bought for him. She'd already had 2 and a half cups of ale - the cups were almost as big as her head - and _Creators_ , did she feel it. But she needed to get the sight of _Zevran_ flirting with _Isabela_ \-- 

She lifted her head and - ignoring the vertigo - finished the rest of her cup. 

She groaned and held her forehead in her hands. Big mistake. She could feel her brain floating around in her skull. The slightest movement made her head and eyes scream in pain; when was the last time she felt this bad -

" .... you alright, sweetheart? I .... had enough...."

The barkeep's voice faded in and out, but Allura got the gist; she was cutting her off. 

" _Tel.... telsila... ar'm...._ " 

Allura struggled to think an appropriate lie, but the words escaped her - there's was too much noise, too many people laughing and talking for her to think straight -

"Don't ... I've got her." 

Allura recognized the voice next to her - it wasn't that familiar but she knew it, who - ? 

She turned her head - and did her best to suppress the wince - 

Isabela smirked down at her and winked, drinking her own cup of ale.

_Creators._

"And put my drink on her tab!" she called out to the barkeep. Then to Allura, "Consider it payment for saving you from the hovering vultures." 

The _exact_ person she did not want to see, sitting next to her as if they were _old friends_ , why is this happening?

" _Fenedhis -_ "

The room swirled and suddenly Allura was doubled over, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor under her and Isabela’s feet. 

~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, Isabela had rented a room and brought Allura copious amounts of water and bread, for which the elf was more grateful than she cared to admit. Allura sat on the couch without much fuss; she'd caused the poor woman enough trouble already. Allura squeezed her eyes shut in a futile attempt to stop the room the spinning. When that didn't work, she held her head in her hands and groaned lowly. 

"You know, letting your hair down would help with the headache," Isabela advised from behind her. 

Allura grunted in acknowledgement, but remained still. It probably would help - her bun was always tight - but the movement seemed so _extraneous_. 

Allura heard a light chuckle behind her as her hair came undone and her dark brown hair fell around her neck and shoulders. Her head felt cool and light, the pressure falling away.

" _Ma serannas_ ,” Allura mumbled into her hands. " _Ir abelas..._ "

"You speak a lot of Dalish when you're drunk, don't you?" 

With a short laugh, Allura lifted her head. "Thank you, Isabela. I'm sorry to put you through this."

"No worries." Allura could hear the smirk in her voice. "Now you owe me for the save and the room." 

The elf grunted again, thankful she hadn't spent many of the sovereigns yet. They sat together in silence for a time. Allura wouldn't describe it as comforting, but it was welcome. Allura wasn't even alarmed when Isabela quietly moved from behind the couch to the coffee table in front of it.

But then she spoke. 

"So is there a reason you were getting hammered in a brothel alone?"

Allura never understood why it was called a brothel. It's where people go to pay for sex, not eat soup. Although, soup could be served here...

"I was not alone," Allura refuted, head back in her hands. "Fen'or is with me."

Fen'or, who had been brought in after Isabela reserved for the room, perked up and barked once happily. 

"You know what I mean." 

Allura sighed and lifted her head. " _Creators_ , I needed to get the image of Zevran flirting with you out of my head."

Isabela's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. It was worth the discomfort moving caused to see this gorgeous, confident woman so off guard. 

"You and Zevran? You're... together?" 

"Yes."

"Like... _together_ together?"

"Yes." She made her annoyance clear with that one syllable. 

"Wow. I've never took him for a 'settle down' type."

Allura had to agree. She'd heard his stories; she's always wondered why such a worldly, charming, deadly elf would be interested in being with her. She couldn't think of anything remotely interesting about herself.

"Wait." Isabela's confused voice broke Allura from her reverie. "Why would you come here if you're trying to forget what I looked like?" 

" _Fenedhis_ , I spent the whole day killing gang members in every _other_ bar in Denerim. I couldn't risk going to a bar in their territory and running into them alone." Allura sighed. "I may be strong, but I am one elf."

She never felt like that before meeting Zevran, or anyone else in the group. She never felt so insignificant before. But as much as she could do on her own, what she can do now, with the people she calls friends, is so much more. There was no comparison.

"Not that any of it will matter soon," Allura sighed, returning her forehead to her hand. "I'm sure we'll both be single in no time. I guess we're... fighting." 

"You're _fighting?_ ," Isabela asked with the same incredulous tone of voice. 

" _Yes._ " Allura let out another sigh. "What did you do when you and Zevran fought...?"

"Us? Sweet thing, Zevran and I were never together-together. Actually, I've never known him to be serious with anyone - almost anyone." 

While she didn't like how Isabela said "almost anyone," the confirmation was much appreciated. 

Allura lifted her head and grinned. "Good to know."

Isabela smirked. "Alright, I'll help you out. What's going on?" 

Allura had no idea why such a woman would be interested in helping her with her _relationship problems_ , but she was grateful for the offer. So grateful, in fact, she decided not to question it. 

"I'm not very... interesting, Isabela. Not like Zevran. But I am Dalish, which may be vaguely interesting to other people." Allura was rambling, which was new to her. She could always blame the ale if Isabela ever spoke about this. "And I wanted to teach him Dalish, even if it's the little bit that I know. But he wouldn't learn it." 

Isabela tilted her head curiously. "Isn't Dalish dying even among the Dalish already? No one really uses it outside your clan, right?" 

There it was. The same thing Zevran said. Her heart clenched and she sighed. 

"Oh... I see. Zevran said that too." Allura was glad her new friend didn’t make her say it. Isabela crossed her legs on the table. "But it wasn't about learning Dalish to use it, was it?" 

"... No," Allura answered quietly. "I miss my people. The Keeper, my friends, the Halla. Merrill, and," she took a deep breath, " _Tamlen._ " She breathed out, ignoring how shaky her voice was going to be. "I miss them, and if I could share it with Zevran, I would miss them less, and we could talk in secret. We could be closer."

The silence this time was a little deafening. Allura peeked at Isabela and saw she was looking at her thoughtfully. The elf raised a curious eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"What is it that you care about more," Isabela started carefully, "Zevran speaking Dalish, or the both of you speaking the same thing?" 

_Zevran speaking Dalish_ , Allura thought immediately. But of course that was her answer; she was stubborn and hard headed, and _pushed_ too much. Zevran was the opposite; despite the way he acted, he cared so much, but never forced anyone to do anything they didn't want to. She wanted him to be more open with her, but she needed to give a little too. 

"I just want us to be closer." 

Her voice was lower, smaller than it'd ever been before, but she could still hear it echo around the room. It was somehow terrifying and humbling to realize that she just wanted to be with him more when they weren't in combat.

"Fine." Isabela's voice cut through the echo in Allura's head. "I'll help you." 

Allura looked up curiously, and saw Isabela looking smug and confident, but just a little bit softer than earlier that day. 

"I don't know much Antivan," Isabela began. "But I know enough to fix this." 

"Really, Isabela? _Ma serannas_ -" 

"- For a price." 

Allura deflated just a bit, but there was no way she was going to turn her down. 

"Five sovereigns a night," Allura offered.

"Nine." 

"Six, and I buy you dinner every night."

"Deal! My, Allura. You sure know how to sweet talk a gal." Isabela fanned herself with a grin. 

"Thank you, Isabela. This means a -" 

"Yes, yes, you're grateful, have no idea how to thank me, blah, blah." Isabela got off the table and walked to the door, waving off Allura's heartfelt exclamations of gratitude. She stopped briefly to pet Fen'or. 

"Meet here an hour after sunset for dinner. You're paying for the room too." Then Isabela winked and she was gone. 

~~~~~~

Allura made it back to the camp much later than Zevran expected her. Alistair, who was on watch, greeted her as she walked past the fire and entered her tent. She paused at the entrance - maybe surprised to see Zevran curled in the bedroll next to hers? - and she let out a sigh. Disappointment? Annoyance? He should just confront her now - but _what would she say?_ Zevran remained still. 

Allura disrobed and slipped into her bed roll. She hesitated before laying down. He heard some shuffling, and felt her hand against his back. It was brief but warm, and he could feel each finger pressed against his shoulder blade. He ignored the chill the absence of her hand created. 

\-----

The next morning, Allura got up much earlier than normal. Zevran turned to see she was already dressing in her armor. 

"Going somewhere so early?," he asked. 

"Oh! Good morning, Zevran." Allura turned and smiled. Her armor - from her helm to her boots - was already on and she was gathering her satchel from the floor. He noticed that it was much lighter than when she left. She couldn't have drunk that much, could she?

"How was the bar?"

Her eyes widened and darted to the side briefly. "It was... fine. I ran into Isabela. We - had a drink." 

Zevran's heart clenched - why? He’d asked Isabela to keep an eye on her, why bother getting upset that they had a drink? Because Allura wasn’t telling the whole truth. He forced a smile. 

"That's great. I'm... pleased you get along."

"She's much more agreeable than I thought she was," Allura admitted with a laugh. "We're going out for drinks again tonight." 

His blood ran cold; he couldn't - no wouldn't - point out why. He sat up, ignoring the dread he felt.

"That's... great. I'm - "

"Sorry, _vhenan_ , I need to make some money before tonight. I'll see you afterwards." 

With a smile and a small wave, she slipped out of the tent and was off. She didn't sound angry; she even referred to him by her Elven pet name for him. 

Perhaps… she was over the fight. Maybe drinking with Isabela did truly help, and when she returned tonight, everything will go back to normal.

\------ 

Things did not go back to normal. 

The pattern continued for another three days; Allura would wake up early every morning, leave early, come back to complete group missions to earn money for the night, go for "drinks with Isabela," come back very late, and sleep. She stayed up for her shifts for the night watch and kept up with her responsibilities. But he hadn't seen her eat in days. She had to though; her satchel was full every day before group missions and considerably lighter when she returned at night. 

If he asked her about her disappearances, or why she needed so much money every day, or why she was drinking with Isabela so often, she would give him a flimsy excuse and wave it off. “I’m allowed time to myself, correct?” “Bars are so much more expensive in human port towns than the forest ones.” “She’s such an interesting person!” It wasn’t in his nature to push and make someone do something. But he would get an answer tonight. 

~~~~~~~~

Allura strolled back into camp, late as usual, with a bit more of a skip in her step. Isabela’s lessons were almost over! She’d be able to talk to Zevran privately, even around the group. Sure, her accent still needed work, and she never emphasized the right syllable, but it was something. There was progress. 

She was in such high spirits she didn’t notice Zevran perched in the tree above her until he dropped down in front of her. His brow was furrowed, he looked as if he’d been up there all night, and she’d never wanted to hold him more than at that moment. 

Zevran did not look like he felt the same, despite the smile he plastered onto his face. “How was ‘drinks with Isabela’?” 

Allura’s brows furrowed in confusion. Why was he so obsessed with knowing that answer? What would it matter to him anyway? She’s been in a much better mood since going out for drinks, all to surprise him, and she never lied about where she was or who she was with. What could be the problem? 

“I don’t understand why you’re upset…” 

Then the reason dawned on her. To him, they were still “in a fight.” She resolved the issue she’d had without telling her partner about it. So, now she’s in a better mood, but she’s not spending any time with him; instead, she’s with _someone else_ every chance she gets. She covered her face, ashamed. This entire plan happened because she wanted to get closer to him, and she forgot to talk to him about it. 

“Zevran, I’m sorry - ” 

“We began _this_ agreeing not to tie each other down, no? I just imagined we would be adults and talk to each other about _this_.” He gestured between the two of them. “If you prefer Isabela’s company, then I will not stand in your way -” 

“Zevran, _no_ , that is _not_ what’s happening - ”

“Then why else have you spent every night this week with her?” 

“Because she has been teaching me how to speak Antivan.” For a second, she was surprised at how quickly she confessed the truth to him. But the frustration on his face fell away to reveal the confusion and loneliness he must have been feeling for days; she needed to fix this as soon as possible. 

“But why… would you want that? Why would she agree?” The confusion and disbelief in his voice hurt her for some reason, but she couldn’t act on it. 

“I… I wanted her to teach me Antivan so I could spend more time with you. I wanted to do more than train to fight Darkspawn with you when we weren’t actually fighting Darkspawn. _Fenedhis_ , I got caught up in the excitement and didn’t realize I wasn’t spending any time with you at all. I am sorry to have worried you so much.” 

She was! She couldn’t express that enough. But she wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t believe her now. 

“... What did she teach you?” 

Allura flushed; she wasn’t confident enough to actually say it yet. 

Her silence must have annoyed him, because the next thing he said was an ultimatum: “If you can’t tell me yourself, perhaps I should ask Isabela personally.” 

Allura reached out for his hand. Her fingertips brushed past the back of his hand, and she hesitated before grabbing him. She took a deep breath before latching onto his hand. 

“ _Bésame._ ” 

Her lover turned, disbelief plain on his face. No, she was still saying it wrong. And it's a song, she has to sing it. 

“ _Bésame mucho. Que tengo miedo perderte, perderte después._ ”

Zevran shook his hand from hers and she wanted to cry. Of course she took too long to realize what she'd done, and he's moved on. She heard him sigh and braced herself for the sound of his footsteps away from her. 

Instead, he walked towards her and before she could react his lips were on hers. She froze. His lips were warm and soft and urgent and it pained her when he broke away.

“Your accent is terrible.”

He kissed her again. 

“You don't put enough emphasis on the accents.”

He kissed her again. This time, she kissed back. 

“You aren't singing in tune with the song.”

Another kiss. 

“Your lessons could use some improvement.”

Flushed and breathless, Allura secretly hoped he'd kiss her again. It’d been so long since she’d even _held_ him, his kisses almost overwhelmed her -- 

“Can you teach me?”

He smirked and held her face in his calloused hands.

“Of course, _mi amor_.” Zevran rested his forehead on his, and she caught his scent: leather and herbs and sandalwood. She took a deep breath and sighed.

Her lover raised his chin and kissed her again, slowly this time, more deliberately than before. She shuddered, just a little, and pulled him closer to her. She rested her head against his shoulder; she’d forgotten how comfortable the fit was. 

“ _Vhenan?_ ” Allura murmured into his chest. 

“Hmm?” Zevran hummed. 

“Would you…” She paused. “Would you sing it for me?” 

“Ah. But of course,” he began. “If you could do something for me.” 

_Anything_ , she thought. “Depends on what it is,” was what she said. 

He chuckled. “Would you tell me what ‘ _vhenan_ ’ means?” 

Allura broke away, alarmed. Why would he want to know now? Was he pitying her? 

“But you said…,” she trailed off, not wanting to say it. 

“I did,” he finished. “I told you Dalish was a dying language. So,” he continued, grabbing both of her hands. “Teach me what you know.” 

He waited patiently, holding eye contact, while she pieced this together. What could he gain from learning a dying language? Nothing tangible for sure - 

But he could gain her. Assuming she was what he wanted. 

She let out a breathy chuckle. She could hope. 

“ _Vhenan_ is short for _ma’vhenan_ ,” she began. “‘My heart.’” Without missing a beat, she asked, “What does ‘ _amor_ ’ mean?” 

She held back a frown when she said it. When he calls her ‘ _amor_ ,’ the word is light, airy, somehow musical. It sounded flat and dull in her own voice. 

Zevran smiled and broke eye contact, briefly. If she didn’t know any better, Allura would swear he was embarrassed. 

“‘ _Mi amor_ ,” he corrected her. “‘My love.’” 

So she should hope. 

“How about we retire to my tent,” she proposed, “and you can sing for me?” 

“Only if you promise to sing for me,” he offered with a sly smirk and a wink. 

She felt her cheeks heat up but allowed herself to be led to her tent. She laid in the cot next to her love, and listened to his song.


End file.
